Archive for Middle East

President Obama has repeatedly called for a “two state” solution to end the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Media reports clearly indicate that President Obama prioritizes this solution over Iran’s ambitions. According to the press, the President’s primary objective of getting Israel to move with the peace process will assist in getting moderate Arab regimes to support isolating Iran from their nuclear and regional ambitions.

If this is the policy plan, it overlooks quite a few tactical realities that this Administration is ignoring or cannot effectively address. Most notable, Iran’s foreign policy is not static and it aggressively looks to provide weapons and money to extremist elements. The freshest example of this was the recent roll up of a Hizballah cell in Egypt. This cell was targeting Israeli/Jewish related facilities in the Sinai and was trying to provide arms and money to the Gaza Strip. Hizballah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah even stated that Hizballah was providing “logistical help to Palestinian brothers, transporting ammunition and individuals for the benefit of the resistance.” Furthermore, Egyptian internal security services arrested two Palestinians “from the Gaza Strip” who were involved with this plot, it is likely HAMAS was hip deep in this venture. How can HAMAS be a party to a “two state” solution with Israel when they are working hand in hand with Israel’s biggest enemy?

Additionally, Iran’s targeting and provisioning of radical elements is not new. It has taken place since the inception of the Islamic regime in Tehran. However, countries like Saudi Arabia (Khobar Towers), Bahrain (Three coup attempts), Egypt (an operational cell), and Morocco (an operational cell) have learned their lesson and are actively trying to combat Tehran’s ambitions and activities. Given the concerted effort of the region’s governments to contain Iran, it seems that an organic coalition is already forming to isolate Tehran. So why is this Administration relegating it to the backburner instead of capitalizing on the regional momentum??

If President Obama wants a listening tour may I humbly suggest going to Riyadh, Manama, Cairo, and Rabat to talk about Iranian activities and how they threaten to destabilize the region. I think they would find the best way to rally those (and many other) Arab regimes (not to mention the Israeli Government) is to directly address the threats posed by Tehran.

One of the problems surrounding Congressional indifference to US energy policy is that the US is economically vulnerable. As stated in a previous article, our adversaries have noticed this vulnerability and are actively trying to exploit that weakness. This economic vulnerability has provided a tool for Iran to damage the US economy and the leverage to manipulate US foreign policy. Continue reading →